Southwold Railway

I had a look around the area of the Southwold Railway yesterday and took a few photos. These are posted on my Flickr site at https://flickr.com/photos/83225862@N02/sets/72177720314391506 for anyone interested.

 

Thanks Rob - your photos are much admired. Next time you are passing let us know, and we can show you around the site in detail (or of course come to our next Station Open Day on May 11th - it's free!). If you would like to have a look around our workshop/test track at Wenhaston - again, just let us know.
James STOP PRESS - the Blythburgh Station team won a "Highly Commended" at the HRA on Saturday, we now have a solar panel charging system for our Greenbat 4WBE loco, the trackbed westwards from Blythburgh Station is cleared for over 100 yards, the ex-WHR point is being re-gauged, and the Cleminson MOY wagon is moving on to completion

 

It is good to see the steady progress and fitting reward for your (and the whole teams) hard work.

 

Thanks very much.
I'd like to tap the expertise on this forum.
On Saturday May 11th at our Blythburgh Station Open Day we will be running our Greenbat loco with the replica wagon, loaded with replica turn-of-the-century freight. Over winter, a solar panel installation has gone in - and it's so efficient that the 48-volt battery loco can be - and is - completely charged by this means.
Thus we'll be running (for the first time in public) a "solar-powered goods train" (if you see what I mean). (We have already demonstrated it to Southwold Railway Trust trustees, last Saturday)
Question for all our readers - is this train a first? If so, to what extent? I imagine it'd be hard to state that it is not a first on the 3-foot gauge in England....but is it in fact a first on the UK NG? Or even on any gauge?
Opinions, support, refutations, facts and surmises, please
James

 

There has been a SG electric railcar operation in Australia (Byron Bay?) which used solar recharging for the past three or four years I believe. Well done though, I think you can certainly claim a UK NG first!...and probably a UK first.
How far does the running line go now?

 

Have they shifted freight out there?
(If only there was a handy product that can be easily moved by rail nearby... *waves at messrs Adnams*)

 

We have a large Adnams barrel onsite (as a typical wagon load), which they donated several years ago - sadly - empty! Photo shows it arriving.
Oddly (well, oddly to me) the Adnams family were against the restoration of the railway when the Southwold Railway Trust tried it in the noughties, but we hope things have changed since then JH

 

The South Tynedale Railway in Cumbria were certainly intending that their battery electric locos would be solar powered. Whether or not it happened I don't know.

https://www.railfuture.org.uk/article1474-Solar-sparks-effect

 

hmmm, I don't know about the situation at Alston.
It is close enough for me to check over the weekend ...

 

Thanks - please do - that'd be useful. James

 

I well recall their opposition. I also recall some fairly vocal opposition from a wildlife group and I suspect that now the Notting Hill-on-Sea brigade will have much to say.